Nadelman, Elie

Nadelman, Elie

Nadelman, Elie, 1882-1946, Polish-American sculptor, b. Warsaw. He spent some time in Paris and is said to have influenced Picasso. Before he settled (1914) in the United States his work was exhibited in New York City at the Armory Show in 1913. His gracefully rounded sculptures, most often in wood or metal, have a smooth, often witty simplicity and a suavely elegant charm that have sometimes been likened to sophisticated versions of folk art, which he avidly collected. Nadelman also worked in marble, cast plaster and papier-mâché, glazed ceramic, a form of electroplating, and other media. Probably his most famous bronze is Man in the Open Air (c.1915; Mus. of Modern Art, New York City), an urbane figure clad only in a small bow tie and bowler hat, in a jaunty pose slightly reminiscent of classical antiquity. Nadelman was comparatively unknown until interest in him was revived by a retrospective exhibition (1948) at the Museum of Modern Art. His reputation was again enhanced by another retrospective (2003) at New York's Whitney Museum of American Art.

Philip Nadelman (born 1955, Alexandria, Virginia) is an artist and musician. His artwork focuses on figure, landscape, mythology and daily life and has been exhibited in New York City art galleries and at the 7th Annual Boston International Fine Art Show, 2003 at the Boston Center for the Arts. He is the grandson of Polish-American artist Elie Nadelman. Nadelman is also a rhythm and blues songwriter and musician, and was leader of the 1980s New York City R&B band Chateau Lagoon. His song "Back Together Again" was recorded by R&B singer Sybil and released on her 1993 album Doin' It Now